Diarrhea: How to Care for Your Infant

Diarrhea is poop that's loose, watery, or happens a lot. Babies who have diarrhea lose a lot of fluid from the body through their poop. Sometimes they also vomit (throw up) or have a fever. If too much fluid is lost, they can get dehydrated (not have enough water in the body). Most of the time, diarrhea goes away on its own in a few days. Until your baby fully recovers from diarrhea, offer plenty of fluids to replace those that are lost.

Make sure your baby drinks enough.

• Offer more breast milk or formula than usual.

• Don't offer plain water. It doesn't have the right nutrients for your baby.

• Don't give juice, soda, or sports drinks, which have too much sugar for babies and can make diarrhea worse.

• If your health care provider recommended other drinks, an oral rehydration solution is the best choice. It has the right amount of water, sugar, and salt for babies and kids. Brand names include Pedialyte® and Enfalyte®, and many stores also have a store brand. You can buy them at drugstores or supermarkets without a prescription.

  • For infants younger than 6 months old, use an unflavored oral rehydration solution.

  • Infants older than 6 months old may prefer a flavored solution. 

• Never give medicines to treat diarrhea. These can cause sleep trouble, belly pain, or other problems in babies.

• Only change your baby's diet if told to by your health care provider. He or she may ask you to try a different formula or change your diet if you're breastfeeding. Otherwise, you can feed your baby as usual if your child feels like eating.

• Sometimes babies with diarrhea also have a fever. You can give medicine for fever if your health care provider says it's OK. Use these medicines exactly as directed:

  • acetaminophen (such as Tylenol® or a store brand) OR

  • ibuprofen (such as Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). Do not give to babies under 6 months old. 

• Don't give aspirin to your child. It's linked to a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome.

Your child:

• has diarrhea that gets worse

• develops a new fever

• vomits (throws up) more than once or twice

• has blood or mucus in the poop, or poop that is black and looks like tar

Your child:

• can't drink fluids

• seems to have severe belly pain

• appears to be dehydrated; signs include a dry mouth, few or no tears when crying, more than 4 to 6 hours without a wet diaper, sunken eyes or soft spot on the head, decreased alertness, rapid breathing, and/or severe sleepiness

What causes diarrhea? Infections in the intestines cause most cases of diarrhea. Germs that can cause an infection include:

• viruses (viral gastroenteritis, also known as "stomach flu," is the most common cause of diarrhea in kids)

• bacteria (which often is the cause of food poisoning)

• parasites

Sometimes diarrhea can be unrelated to germs. This can happen in kids who eat or drink too much sugar (like juices), or who have food allergies or intolerances. It also can happen as a side effect of some medicines.

How can we prevent the spread of germs that cause diarrhea? Remind everyone in your family to wash their hands well and often. They should wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. This is especially important after using the bathroom or changing a diaper, and before preparing or eating food.

Other ways to prevent the spread of germs:

• Keep your baby out of child care until the diarrhea has been gone for 24 hours. Keep your baby out of swimming pools until 1 week after the diarrhea stops.

• Clean objects and surfaces regularly, especially doorknobs and other things that get touched a lot.

• Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.

• Clean kitchen counters and cooking utensils well after they've been in contact with raw meat.

• Refrigerate meats and fish as soon as you bring them home from the store and cook them well. Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible after cooking.

• Avoid drinking from streams, springs, or lakes.